


Venus in Furs

by ctwriites



Category: Snow White - All Media Types, The Huntsman (Movies)
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Battle Couple, Childhood Friends, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Reunited and It Feels So Good
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2020-04-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:40:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23659261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ctwriites/pseuds/ctwriites
Summary: Eric drew one of his axes and made to rush the trio that lunged at them before being shoved away by the streak of blonde that dove past his barricade to throw herself at the trio. “No!” He barked before rushing after her, causing the others to advance on them.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	1. prologue

**Author's Note:**

> i don't own Snow White and the Huntsman/ the Huntsman Winter's War, all i own is my character and the alteration(s) in this fic. also if yall were expecting lemons i apologize in advance as i'm rusty at them, so expect fluff out the wazoo in this. 
> 
> (this is also my first work in this fandom so pls be gentle! enjoy the fic)

The wintry air was colder this high into the mountains in comparison to the forest.  
  
She squirmed in the ropes out of reflex, hooded eyes with frustration in her sharp gaze flicking off to the others who had been plucked from their homes. They were about her age, she noted, some of them still weeping over the dramatic shift in their worlds while the rest were afraid of the half-wild girl that she was.  
  
They had a right to fear her, she figured, given they had seen her kick and claw her way out of being ensnared only hours ago… or was it days? She couldn’t tell.  
  
She herself hated that she had gotten caught, hated that it was because she hadn’t been fast enough or hadn’t drawn blood from the ones who forced her into the carriage with bars on the sides… hated that the home she had had in the forest was now gone forever.  
  
If she had had a birth mother, she never knew the woman. Her father even less. All she had known for the last ten years was the wolves who had found the crying babe she was when she had been abandoned in the forest. They had raised her best they could, taught her to provide for herself and that pack was priority, only to steal from the nearby village when the winters were hard.  
  
Fate or whatever gods deigning the goings-on of the world had a cruel sense of humor to cause her to be in a cage.  
  
The sharp bump hitting one of the wheels on the carriage yanked her out of her reverie, causing one or two of the children nearby to yelp in surprise.  
  
She sniffed when one of the girls near her started to get weepy, glancing at the redhead before she looked forward and stiffened a bit at accidentally meeting the stare of one of the boys seated across from her. Finding his eyes weren’t fearful of meeting hers but rather were intrigued and, daresay, empathetic, her brow crinkled and she cocked one eyebrow in curiosity in return.  
  
At least there was one who didn’t fear her.  
  
The boy couldn’t and did little to fight the bemused quirk of his mouth when the bound blonde girl held his stare out of curiosity, finding her eyes were green the longer their stares held, the hue as modest as his own blue, watching her look away at last but not without allowing him to see the faintest smirk on her mouth.  
  
So she wasn’t as frightening as everyone believed.


	2. One

The raven relaxed when she stroked his feathers, beady eyes flicking up at the girl who seemed at ease having him perched on her forearm.  
  
“Frae.”  
  
“He’s taken to me, I think,” she observed to the woman, barely looking away from the black bird that bumped her gentle fingers in return for her kindness towards him.  
  
Several months had passed since she had been taken. The frozen kingdom was ruled by Freya, a queen who used magic to manipulate the frozen terrain around the cold fortress. She was beautiful like a wintry spring morning but she was equally as resolute in her rhetoric. Freya had had the children brought to her so she could train them to be her army, calling them all Huntsmen.  
  
Her primary rule that they adhered to was to never fall in love. She likened herself to being their mother, but Frae knew the queen would never replace the she-wolf who raised her with her pups.  
  
Freya had taken interest in _her_ , specifically, keeping the soldiers from killing her as they saw her too wild to train. Since day one she had taken her under her proverbial wing, teaching her to rely on her instincts and lie when the situation called for it, to use her enemy’s weakness to her advantage, and over everything to never fall in love.  
  
Frae didn’t enjoy lying, and she half-hoped she wouldn’t have to do so for the foreseeable future.  
  
“So he has,” the mentioned queen nodded along, the satisfactory smile on her lips extended to the bird before she offered it to the girl, patting her on the back and watching the blonde step away to return the bird to the opened window to set him free. “I see the girls are treating you well enough.” She mused aloud, knowing that to be a half-truth.  
  
The girls kept Frae at a distance as she had given them a good scare when she arrived. The boys were no different.  
  
Except the one boy, the brunette named Eric, who had been captured the same day Frae had.  
  
“They’re all right, I suppose. We get along as best we can.” Frae shrugged, giving a sniff at the reminder of her fellow girls.  
  
She didn’t tell the queen about the distrusting looks and whispered rumors the girls traded regarding her, about how she was more wolf than girl, and for sake of her pride she refused to tell anyone that their fear of her left her in a mood.  
  
Noone _needed_ or _bothered_ to know about her problems, except for Eric.  
  
He had reached out first, a week after they were settled, distracting one of the two children that had been giving her the stink eye. She had demanded why he helped her when she could’ve dealt with them on her own, only for him to state they were just afraid of her. He wasn’t though, she had pointed out to him that same day, to which he had shrugged and remarked that she wasn’t scary to him.  
  
It was in that moment that their odd friendship had been struck.  
  
“I’m glad to hear that, dear one,” Freya smiled for her, a gentle sort that left the girl to believe she wasn’t all bad, nodding to the door of the study to dismiss her from her lesson. “Go on, I’m sure they’re dying to know about the new friend you’ve made,” she added with the smile present.  
  
Frae returned the smile, albeit shyly, before leaving the spacious room at a trot.

Try as she might, the disgust with their task was evident on her pretty face.  
  
He had studied her expressions to the letter for the last ten years, and he knew _that_ particular one was reserved for days like this.  
  
They, along with another pair of their comrades, had been ordered to round up another batch of ‘ _recruits’_ as the time had come to get new blood. The queen had let he and her prodigy to take point, considering they worked best when they were together.  
  
Freya wasn’t wrong about that.  
  
Where he lacked was where Frae excelled, and the same went for her own faults…  
  
“If you’re going to ask me something, can I _at least_ scratch my nose?” The blonde asked then, yanking him from his thoughts, her brow crinkled somewhat in annoyance at his silence.  
  
The brunette minded the brief concern in her green eyes meant for him before he puffed and looked ahead as they drove the carriage back. “Unless you’re gonna be _gross_ about it and dig for gold?” He rebutted.  
  
Giving a sniff at his comeback, his comrade shoved his arm before shifting in her seat. “Honestly, like _you’re_ a flawless prince when your hygiene is concerned,” she grumped and pointedly looked at him from under her brow.  
  
He wasn’t a prince but he _was_ good-looking, she knew, considering their age-mates, some of the boys included, swooned whenever he strode by.  
  
He shoved back on habit, a pout tugging at his lips as he returned the look. Their stares held, blue and green, before he looked ahead with a chuckle. “Not jealous, _are you_ , wolf girl?” He poked.  
  
“Of what, the _countless admirers_ you have?” She drawled the words ‘ _countless admirers’_ and rolled her eyes, tilting her head away with a chuckle of her own, “nope, I wouldn’t dream of it, bearpaw.”  
  
Eric’s brow twitched a little at her petname, one she had bestowed on him when his growth spurts had kicked in, and he took heart that their comrades were in the cart with the children as he mused to her, “I know you hate these days, about as much as I do.”  
  
Cocking a brow at his quieted tone, Frae glanced back at the carriage and looked away with a nod as she replied in the same tone, “it was our shift anyway, wasn’t it, given we were picked last a while back.”  
  
He had that habit, although at this point it must’ve been second nature, of knowing how she felt; even when she _didn’t_ say anything he knew. He was the one person in the whole world who knew her like the back of his hand.  
  
The rest of the ride was quiet, and it was when they were coming up to the fortress gates that she had stirred a bit from taking a cat-nap.  
  
Eric had looked down at her while she napped, using his shoulder for a pillow as she did on occasion, releasing the reins of one hand to push her shoulder. “Wake up, we’re almost there.” He urged quietly.  
  
Frae gave a growl under her breath at being awoken, leaning away to yawn and stretch her arms upward as her back arched, pouting over at him and her pout faltered at the unfamiliar look that adorned his chiseled face. She cocked a brow in return, wondering if she had dirt on her face for a moment.  
  
The gate doors being pulled open from the other side stalled his explanation, and they both straightened in their seats as they adopted matching stoic expressions.

“You know it’s dangerous.”  
  
“Aye, but it’s worth at least _one_ go.”  
  
Frae scowled at him from polishing her knives.  
  
True she despised recruiting children as much as he did, but maybe… maybe leaving the kingdom wasn’t such a bad idea.  
  
What world she had known before being ‘ _recruited’_ was most likely gone by now and, honestly after all she had been taught and being among her own people, she couldn’t see going back to the wolves.  
  
That part of her life was over.  
  
Running away _was_ dangerous given noone had ever escaped the kingdom before, at least not successfully, but he was right… Never mind that he was insane if he thought she wouldn’t join him.  
  
“When?”  
  
Eric looked at her with some surprise and plenty relief that she agreed to his idea. They had both seen what happened to those who tried to escape, a steep crime punishable by death, and he himself started to think it was mad to try, but if she wanted to leave with him…  
  
“Midnight.”  
  
She lowered the last knife to place it with its spotless siblings on the brown cloth, nodding to him and minding the measure of excitement present in his eyes at seeing she would join him. “Sounds fair.” She didn’t need to say anything regarding the queen, as he knew as well as she did, and her ever-watchful eyes.

The night was clear and the moon sat half-full and low when the hour was upon them.  
  
A trickle of fear muddled with excitement was in the air, near palpable, as he kept his place hiding behind one of the thick stone pillars while listening for her.  
  
He risked a glance past his post to see the grounds were dead silent, and his subconscious let slip the thought that maybe she would turn tail and stay in her quarters before his stubbornness shoved the notion into the deepest recesses of his mind.  
  
Frae wasn’t a coward by any rights, she would come to him and together they would run from this place…  
  
A small hand on his coat sleeve made Eric jump slightly before he turned to snatch the owner’s arm, and he calmed when recognizing her green eyes as she gestured he keep quiet. He grinned at seeing her, his excitement causing a likewise grin to cross her lips, releasing her arm in favor of ducking a little to bump foreheads.  
  
Frae ignored the heat in her cheeks at his gesture before reluctantly breaking stares and look around their meeting point to see the grounds retained their silence, looking up at him and nodding before taking his hand in hers and leading the way away from their pillar at a sprint.  
  
The two friends kept to the shadows as they reached the weak spot in the otherwise sturdy log fencing, stopping to regard that the worn link looked like it needed a good shove to give for them.  
  
He inhaled and looked on his companion, for a moment minding that despite their growing up together she came to his shoulder, knowing that this was going to work even though anxiety gnawed at his confidence.  
  
She met his stare, her heart aching at the confident fire burning in his blue eyes, a smile holding nothing but hope and fondness for her childhood comrade pulling her lips upward.  
  
“ _It’s rather late to be running off, isn’t it?”_ A normally-gentle voice wondered behind them, bringing the mutual excitement between the odd pair to come to a screeching halt, causing dread to wash over the two friends who reluctantly looked to the owner of the voice.  
  
Out of instinct, Eric pushed Frae behind him so she was sandwiched between him and the logs, eyes steely as he faced the queen. “She had nothing to do with this, my queen, leave her be.” He declared evenly, fear for Frae outweighing the fear for his own life.  
  
Freya knew the others had come and heard them shift to surround the escaping couple, lifting a brow at the brunette’s urge to protect the blonde. “Is that true, dear Frae? Is it as true as when you’ve told me about how you _weren’t_ falling for him?” Her tone complimented her powers as those present could feel the temperature drop by the second.  
  
Frae didn’t say a word, knowing it wiser to keep her mouth shut even though her subconscious screamed at her to lie so Freya would somehow spare them, a throwing knife she had tucked into her tunic sleeve in hand as she had scratched at the gap between the worn log and its right-hand partner when the queen was speaking.  
  
“Now _that’s_ a pity, isn’t it, Eric? Your dearest refuses to answer… You both should relax, I think, considering _I’m_ not going to punish you for your escaping.” Freya mused, voice still cold, stepping away to let her more-eager soldiers advance on the pair.  
  
Eric drew one of his axes and made to rush the trio that lunged at them before being shoved away by the streak of blonde that dove past his barricade to throw herself at the trio. “No!” He barked before rushing after her, causing the others to advance on them.  
  
Kicking one square in the chest and gutting the second, Frae drew back to deal with the third man when seeing him drop after being cut down by Eric. “ _Go!”_ She snapped at him, steely eyes becoming blurred with tears as she realized what needed to be done, giving him a forceful shove so he was pushed closer to the logs.  
  
“ _Not without you, Frae!”_ Eric argued stubbornly, hearing her growl a curse before surprise filled him when she twisted somewhat to kick him square in the belly.  
  
A wooden cracking filled his ears as he felt the logs give at the force applied to them, and before he knew it he was out and rolling over until his rear hit a stout rock. He scrambled to his feet to look up at the incline where the break was, hearing her snarled exclamations as she was fending off their former comrades.  
  
“Frae…” He breathed her name before growling an oath and turning to jump over to the thin path that wasn’t far from his landing, landing and breaking into a run.  
  
He dared not look back despite his instincts that screamed at him to go back for her… he kept going because her sacrifice would be for nothing if he returned.


	3. Two

The tavern was more inviting than being out here in the bleak daylight.  
  
A grimace crossed her face for a moment before it disappeared behind her blasé mask hidden by the borrowed helmet. She didn’t like this village, namely because it was so dreary even out of the rainy seasons, but also because she didn’t appreciate it being so close to the castle grounds.  
  
Rumors regarding Tabor’s decrepit state didn’t do justice to actually walking into the kingdom, in her opinion.  
  
“Swithins! Are you coming or not?” A sharp voice yanked her out of her thoughts then, and she glanced up to regard the owner of the sharp voice to look on the Queen’s brother, Finn, who kept his antsy steed at bay by the grip on the reins. At her bob of the head in a nod, the weasel turned away to urge the black horse onward after their tracker and heard her own horse follow to bring up the rear.  
  
She grimaced again at watching Finn take point as if he was destined for it, quelling the urge to throw a knife at his blonde head of hair as both instinct and reason dictated that if this was going to go swimmingly she had to be subtle. Inhaling through her nose, she looked away to their tracker and focused on his dark brown head before her eyes softened.  
  
The night he had escaped from the north, he had only _thought_ she died for their crime.  
  
Freya intervened when she had slain around half the Huntsmen, ensnaring her in icy chains long enough to say she would spare her by letting her rot away in the dungeons. She had been taken without further struggle, and only when the queen was out of sight did she break away from two Huntsmen that had been ordered to escort her down. It was by sheer tenacity that she freed herself by knocking one out with a swift kick at his legs and silencing the other with a sharp sucker-punch to the nose.  
  
She had escaped through the same break in the wall only moments later and had been on the run for the last few years.  
  
Infiltrating the hunting party was child’s play in comparison to that night.

While the armor she had _‘borrowed_ ’ was one size too large for her, she was grateful for the silvery helmet that protected her face as their party crossed into the dark forest in search of the prisoner. Having abandoned the horses once coming into the marsh that led into the forest, she spared another glance at the blackened trees between shifting her gaze back to their point-man again.  
  
The air of the forest was magicked, and not the good sort, to where if one inhaled enough of it they would hallucinate and become lost forever in the dark trees.  
  
That was how the stories went, but she wasn’t about to take her chances with trying to disprove them.  
  
She brought her feet to a halt to avoid bumping into one of the other soldiers with them when their tracker advised them to stop so he could go ahead on his own, and she slightly tilted her head to watch him stride away towards a thicket with his axe in hand.  
  
At Finn’s disbelieving glance he shared with the soldier closest to him she bristled a little before she followed when he urged the three of them (plus her) to follow the brunette.  
  
A wince graced her features when a startled yelp came from their prey, proof that he had done his job well, before the brunette reemerged with his grip tight on the arm of the other. Bright gaze regarding that their prey was actually a maiden with black hair and fearful brown eyes, she felt a great swell of pity for the girl and what would undoubtedly be her fate were she to be returned to Ravenna.  
  
She herself had heard the horror stories of maidens being taken from their families to sacrifice their youthful beauty to the evil queen if only to keep old age at bay for the last count of years.  
  
“… does the queen plan to do with her?” Their tracker demanded, his rumbling voice yanking her back to the matter at hand, seeming to have shifted a bit to stand between the girl and the five with his darkened eyes on Finn.  
  
Finn scoffed at his curiosity, “that’s none of _your_ concern, Huntsman. Now stop diddling and hand over the girl, go on.” He ordered, extending a gloved hand for emphasis that their return was of the utmost importance.  
  
The named brunette glared at him before glancing away for a half-second when the one dubbed as Swithins looked between he and the blonde with their right hand on the handle of their sword… _they didn’t even hesitate, did they?_ “She obviously means a great deal to the queen, though, doesn’t she?” He knew death would greet him eventually, but why go willingly, he deemed as he kept a hand fisted in the girl’s sleeve.  
  
“You want death that much, don’t you, drunkard?” Finn sneered in disgust, looking away as the sound of a sword leaving its scabbard broke into the tension before the owner lashed out at the closest man to gut him, and he bit out as the assailant went for the other two men with them, “the hell are you _doing_ , Swithins…!?”  
  
He turned towards the scuffle before a growl came from the Huntsman who rushed him at seeing the opportunity to strike, blocking the other’s swinging axe with his sword he drew.  
  
Grunting as she withdrew her sword from the gutted soldier’s chest, she looked over to Finn and the Huntsman as the brunette narrowly avoided getting stabbed in the ribs by the blonde. “Damn it…” she grumbled, glancing away from the men to see Finn was closest to a bush of dead branches.  
  
“I doubt you’ve realized this, Huntsman, but she _can’t_ bring her back. Ravenna doesn’t have that power…!” Finn drawled before being cut off when ‘ _Swithins_ ’ barreled into him and knocked him into a bush of dead branches, causing the magicked spores to fly into the air.  
  
“ **Go**!” ‘ _Swithins’_ ordered as she grabbed the brunette’s hand in her free hand to drag him away at a sprint.

The odd pair put about two rows of trees behind them before believing they were safe.  
  
She looked back at the way they had come, minding the forest had settled a bit around them, exhaling in relief. It was short-lived though, as the next thing she knew her scruff was snatched in his grip and her eyes flew to rest on his suddenly stern face.  
  
“Who are you, and _why’d_ you help me?” He demanded lowly, voice sounding like thunder to her ears, his blue eyes hard.  
  
Studying his dirtied face for a moment, the chiseled contours of his cheeks having rounded a smidge in the last six years and his brown hair that was drawn away from his brow to be tied half-way, her lips split into a wry smile. “Time hasn’t been kind if you forgot me so well, Eric.” She answered, her own voice somewhat raspy with lack of use within the last few days, watching his tightened eyes sharpen in shock.  
  
Her smile lingered when his free hand lifted to pull the helmet off her head, his hand holding her scruff releasing her as he recognized her pretty face.  
  
“Frae.” He gaped at standing face-to-face with her, the blonde who had once been raised by wolves and helped him escape the north… his best friend he had bargained with Ravenna for to revive from the dead.  
  
Her vision started to blur at seeing realization come over him, and she nodded once before reaching up to gently cup his cheek, giving a sniff.  
  
Eric surprised her again when he tugged her closer to all-but crush her in a tight hug that lifted her from the ground, feeling her tremble in his arms before her thinner arms wrapped around his neck and she groaned happily into his shoulder, giving a laugh at the surprise and hearing her laugh with him.  
  
Drawing away a little, as much as his tight grip on her hips would allow, Frae’s wide grin lingered on her face as green locked on blue before she bumped foreheads with him and closed her eyes when his fingers ran through her hair to curl in the locks at the back of her head.  
  
His own grin softened at her gesture and he put her down with reluctance, minding that her mane she had braided back to keep from her face was now cropped to her nape, his grin faltering a bit at the reality that time hadn’t been kind to her either. “You’re still short.” He mused quietly as more of a thought than an observation.  
  
Lips quirking in a pout at his words, she tilted her head a bit and remarked, “and _you’ve_ gotten broader in middle, I think.” She crinkled her brow and cocked one as their stares held.  
  
Eric puffed at her barb and watched her dubious look crumble with a soft snort from her nostrils, shaking his head with a low chuckle. He looked elsewhere at remembering they were still in the forest, and his bemused look faltered. “C’mon, she can’t have gone far.” He urged, stepping away from the tree they had lingered by to look for the girl.  
  
Frae trotted after his leave, glancing back to see with relief that they remained unfollowed before she sighed slightly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((i apologize if anyone was looking for the Plot to be on point, just forewarning yall... elsewise, enjoy!))


	4. Three

“That explains it.”  
  
“Aye… wait, _‘explains_ ’ what?”  
  
Brandishing the sword she had let him examine, he returned it to its master when minding its grip fit her better than his. “How crafty you’ve been… you told me you were raised by wolves, not foxes.” He replied calmly.  
  
She returned the sword to its scabbard at her hip and sniffed, shoving him on habit, “wolves can be sneaky too, when they need to be. And graceful.” She puffed.  
  
“The only time _you’ve_ been ‘ _graceful’_ is when you’re shit-kicking an opponent that’s twice your size.” Eric retorted knowingly, offering a cheery smile when she deflated a bit.  
  
Frae minded they were coming up to a stone bridge and scoffed, a rueful smirk crossing her lips, “just say when and I’ll knock _you_ on your ass like before, you lug.”  
  
“It’s been six years, wolf girl, I doubt you’d be as adept at…” he started to taunt when a loud roar sounded from the left-hand end of the bridge, causing them both to flinch and look at the owner of the noise.  
  
A massive stone-gray troll emerged from its hiding place to glower down at the pair that had trespassed on its territory, lifting one tree-trunk-sized arm to swing out at them and beat them away, giving a snarl of frustration.  
  
Eric had snatched Frae from the collision as they both rolled out of the way, looking down at her when they landed in the incline nearby with her underneath him. “You alright?” He asked between giving her a once-over.  
  
Frae nodded and looked past him at the beast that lunged at them again, giving a grunt as she grabbed his arms and they rolled out of the way again, being first to scramble to her feet. “Hang on, we didn’t mean to disturb you…!” She called to the guardian before it rushed Eric who had brushed past her to take a swing with his axe at its legs, and she groaned under her breath. “Sunnuva…”  
  
She winced when the beast smacked her companion aside so he landed on the opposing incline back-first, rushing to his defense with her sword drawn as the troll advanced on him. “ **Eric**!”  
  
Eric looked up, head spinning, at hearing his name as the blonde dove between he and the beast, and he started to get up when seeing the creature suddenly look past them at the girl that came from the top of the incline.  
  
Both companions froze somewhat when the girl, the maiden that Ravenna had demanded the life of, stepped up to the beast to extend her hand up at its flat face. She was cautious of what the creature would do, true, but she took heart when it recognized that she meant no harm to it.  
  
The troll gave a soft snort before it backed away to then return to the bridge, leaving the odd trio in its wake.  
  
“Looks like it respected you.” Frae mused quietly as her sword was returned to its scabbard, regarding the maiden with curiosity.  
  
Tearing her eyes away from where the beast had stood, the girl nodded and minded that the blonde had yet to move from protecting her friend, allowing a slight smile. “It would seem so. I’m glad you’re both all right… sorry, about running off.” She replied, looking between the friends.  
  
“It wasn’t smart by any rights,” Eric puffed dryly as he had stood to his feet, causing the younger woman to look elsewhere before the older swatted his arm in scolding. He gave her a look that she returned with a cocked brow, sobering and adding to the girl, “you never said what your name was.”  
  
The princess looked between the odd pair at hearing the degree of patience in his low voice, feeling like the blonde had a lot to do with that, before clearing her throat and nodding as she answered, “sorry, again. It’s Snow White.”  
  
The blonde’s brows almost rose into her hairline at the name, sobering within a half-second as she returned the nod and gestured between the lone man and herself, “Frae, and that’s Eric. Ravenna is your step-mother, isn’t she?”  
  
Sobering at the reminder, she nodded again and minded the degree of pity in the woman’s green eyes at the revelation. “She wants to rip my heart out, for a reason only she knows of, so I need to get to the Duke’s castle… suppose I can’t get there on my own, though,” she stated quietly.  
  
Having put two and two together in the half-second that followed her explanation, Eric cut in before either woman could speak, “Frae, c’mere for a second…” he gently pulled the blonde to his side as he led her away from the girl’s side and closer to the shade of the bridge to talk in private. “We’re not going.” He stated once they were out of earshot.  
  
Frae gaped slightly at his refusal, brow furrowing as she demanded, “and why not? She’s just a girl, Eric, _she_ even admitted that this journey is a risk! She’ll need help…”  
  
“Because you and I both know that it’s dangerous, _that’s_ why,” Eric snapped back, holding her disbelieving stare in his, before he gave a shallow exhale and added with all seriousness, “I just… I thought you were dead, this whole time, and you came back to me. Never mind that Ravenna will send more men after us, and you’re mad if you think I want that hag to take your life in the process of protecting this girl.”  
  
Face soft at his worry, and fear if she could consider that too, Frae curled her fingers in his tunic collar and leaned up as he ducked a little to bump foreheads.  
  
“I don’t want to lose _you_ again, either, but you know that I can’t fight without you. ‘Sides, it’s not the first time we’ve seen the wrath of a queen, is it?” She reminded softly as she had closed her eyes when their foreheads touched, her cheeks warming at his larger hands that tugged her close when finding her sword’s belt.  
  
A soft growl leapt into his throat at the memory before being quelled, and Eric released her belt to trace his fingers along the contours of her right cheek, committing the peaceful visage on her fair face to memory. His eyes closed tight until he started to see stars before he groaned in reluctant defeat.  
  
“One of these days your stubbornness will get you killed…” he groused in a softened tone.  
  
Frae grinned ruefully as she opened her eyes to look up at him and hum in a gentler tone, “not if you’ve got anything to say about it.”  
  
Snow White perked up when the former Huntsmen emerged from talking under the bridge, and sharing a moment from what she had briefly observed before looking away per respect, to start up the incline.  
  
“C’mon, Snow,” Frae urged calmly when the girl started to speak in their wake, hearing her follow their lead.

Eric looked back at hearing cloth tear, stopping at the noise, to see Snow White let Frae remove the unnecessary hem of her blue dress with a spare knife. “If you’re done tryin’ to use the hem as a hankie, ladies…” he mused dryly before turning to continue leading them into the marsh.  
  
“Should’ve _brought one_ if you’re going to take a poke at either of us, you lug,” Frae stuck her tongue out, smirking cheerily when being given a look over his shoulder.  
  
Snow White winced when stepping on something slippery and almost stumbling because of it, looking at the blonde who extended a hand to help her and taking her hand with a nod of thanks. “You’ve known each other a long time, haven’t you?” She wondered if only out of curiosity.  
  
“Aye, since we were children,” Frae nodded sagely, pushing dead reeds out of her face with her free hand as she added with a look at the lone man, “he’s not as scary as you think, either, he just gets a bit grouchy sometimes.”  
  
The younger woman chuckled quietly at the exchange of looks between them when he overheard the accusation, glad for the blonde’s hand that helped her cross through the marsh, asking the woman, “has he always been like that?”  
  
The blonde snorted softly when distinctly seeing his ears turn red despite the brown locks that partially hid them, replying with another smirk, “he used to get like that, off and on, but it seems it’s stuck with him in the last few years…” she trailed off when running face-first into his back as he had come to an abrupt halt.  
  
The lone man extended an arm to stop her from snapping at him, hearing her grumble in pain as her nose had taken the brunt of the meet, blue eyes meant for the welcome wagon that greeted them just as they were about to reach a part of the marsh that turned towards the lake around them.  
  
“Only spirits or devils pass through that forest… which are you?" The head of the other party, a woman wearing a red cloak that covered her face save her brown eyes, demanded of the odd trio.


End file.
